


Love without Borders

by Blayzes



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: F/M, Fluff, I'm ignoring the end of Omen of the Stars in this fic, Short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2017-12-06
Packaged: 2019-02-11 11:08:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12933960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blayzes/pseuds/Blayzes
Summary: The two nuzzled, their tails twining together, their hearts beating as one. Tigerheart lifted his nose to Dovewing's ear and began to whisper something





	Love without Borders

**Author's Note:**

> This is completely ignoring the end of Omen of the Stars (because this was written before Omen of the Stars ended). I know with Tigerheart's Shadow and Vision of Shadows released, this fic is completely moot, but it exists so I'm posting it. Dovewing still has all of her powers, Firestar is still alive, you get the picture.

The full moon hung high in the dark night sky, where the surrounding stars complimented it's beauty. Below, a slight breeze stirred, causing a few leaves to rustle. And yet, even after the wind died down, the rustling did not. After a moment, a young gray she-cat stepped out, as quietly as she could be, and trotted away from the trees towards the large lake ahead of her. On the banks sat a dark brown tabby, whose head snapped to her the moment he heard her, eyes shining with happiness at the sight of her.

"Dovewing!" he exclaimed, rushing forward and pressing his muzzle to her's.

"Tigerheart," she purred in reply, giving into the blissful feeling of their reunion.

The two nuzzled, their tails twining together, their hearts beating as one. Tigerheart lifted his nose to Dovewing's ear and began to whisper something, but no sound came out. "What?" she asked.

"I said are you going to spend all day in your nest like a dormouse!" came the sharp reply.

Dovewing lifted her head and was suddenly staring into the irritated gaze of her former mentor Lionblaze; it had just been a dream. Sunlight was seeping in through the barrier of the den, casting it's dancing specks of dust in its warm rays. Is it sunhigh already?!

"I-I'm sorry!" Dovewing blurted the apology as she scrambled out of her nest and shook her fur to cast off the stray bits of moss that still clung to her. She peered around the warriors den. Ivypool, her sister, was sleeping next to her, smelling of the forest; she must have been on the dawn patrol. Most of the nests were empty. Blossomfall's, Bumblestripe's, Lionblaze's, and Squirrelflight's nests still smelled warm, all of whom must be on the sunhigh patrol with Dovewing. At the back of the den, she spotted Cloudtail's and Brightheart's pelts, merging into one. She remembered that they had been the last of the night's guard, and were now obviously catching up on some well-deserved sleep. Guilt pricked at Dovewing's pelt; everyone had been working but her. And what had she been doing? Dreaming of a midnight rendezvous with a cat from another Clan! Not just any cat, either. A cat who had to held Dovewing's sister hostage for the last of ThunderClan's catmint, despite the fact that her Clanmates could have died without the precious healing herb. Tigerheart was also visiting the murderous spirit of his dead kin, Tigerstar, in his dreams. Tigerstar's soul resided in the Dark Forest, an afterlife so dark and dank that even the star's could not shine in it's evil and choking mist. There, Tigerstar was training the dead souls of others as well as the living cats in the Clans around the lake, creating an army in which to destroy the Clans and recreate them with him as their overlord.

Dovewing suppressed a shudder at the memory. Tigerheart was her enemy now, and she could not have feelings for him. Still, that didn't stop a ripple of sadness spreading through her at the knowledge that they could never be together.

"I should hope so." Lionblaze grunted in reply. "Now that you're finally awake, we can get on with the patrol."

"Right behind you," she yawned as she stretched her forelegs, then her back legs, and followed him out into the clearing. Together, they padded over to the rest of the patrol and they all set off into the forest to hunt.

Dovewing sniffed the air and scented a blackbird by the ShadowClan border. With a nod to Lionblaze, she quietly trotted off alone in the direction of her intended prey. However, before she had gotten very far, she cast out her senses and immediately noticed Tigerheart sneaking towards the border.  
What in the name of StarClan is he up to now?!

Prey forgotten, Dovewing padded quickly to the border and slipped under a bramble bush. As soon as Tigerheart was within earshot, she quietly called to him.

"Tigerheart!" He jumped in surprise at sound of Dovewing's voice. "Tigerheart! Over here!"

As Tigerheart located Dovewing, he crouched down and slid in beside her.

"I was hoping you'd be here!" he mewed happily.

"You shouldn't be here in the first place!" she hissed back. Hurt clouded his gaze and she had to suppress a sigh. "Look, even if I wasn't mad at you for holding my sister hostage - which I still am, by the way! - we can't be together."

"Why? We were doing just fine before!"

"Because we're from different Clans! We can't spend the rest of our lives meeting in secret. It just wouldn't work out. Besides," she added suddenly, "you're letting Tigerstar train you! How can I ever trust you when you're getting caught up in his destructive plans?"

"But that's why I came to talk to you!" he meowed excitedly, "I've stopped going! So that won't get in our way anymore." With that, he pressed himself closer to her and touched his nose to her ear affectionately.

With him so close, his scent wreathing around her, Dovewing was finding it hard to think clearly, and it took her a moment to find her voice. "Th-that still doesn't change the fact that we're in different Clans," she told him sadly, honest regret flooding her rejection of his feelings. "We can never truly be mates when there are borders that separate us. I'm sorry."

Before she could change her mind, she burst out of the bramble bush and charged away as quickly as possible, his pained gaze burned into her memory.

 

~*~

 

Tigerheart watched as Dovewing's gray pelt disappeared among the forest's greenery. Only after the ferns behind her stopped quivering did he finally rise up and slowly pad back into ShadowClan territory, her words ringing continuously in his ears.

_That still doesn't change the fact that we're in different Clans. We can never truly be mates when there are borders that separate us._

He hated admitting it, but she was right; interClan relationships could never work out. Memories of moons ago, when Leafpool's relationship with WindClan's Crowfeather was revealed to every Clan at a Gathering flickered in his mind. There was also the romance that Graystripe and Silverstream of RiverClan shared. Tigerheart remembered hearing those stories. They had not worked out. Would his and Dovewing's love for each other have suffered the same fate? Or would they have succeeded where others failed?

I guess she's right, he thought sullenly, it can't work out so long as I'm in ShadowClan and she's in ThunderClan. For the first time ever, he wished he had been born in ThunderClan. Maybe if he had been, they could be together for the rest of their lives, much like his own parents.

Tigerheart stopped and looked back at the invisible border. Before, it was merely a scent line. Now, it was like a giant wall of thorns separated the two territories, making sure the two could never mix, could never join, could never intertwine. With a sigh, he began to walk forward once more, Dovewing's words dragging him home.

_We can never truly be mates when there are borders that separate us..._

~*~  
Dovewing deposited her catch, a squirrel and a shrew, into the fresh-kill pile and slunk towards the warriors den, her paws dragging. She could feel Lionblaze's gaze burning into her pelt, a hundred questions regarding her mood fizzing in his head, but she ignored him, not wanting to talk about it. Jayfeather was nowhere in sight, much to Dovewing's satisfaction; the last thing she wanted was him probing her mind.

As she reached the den, her sister Ivypool trotted out, obviously well-rested and ready for the next patrol. However, she stopped dead at the look on Dovewing's face. She was instantly at her side, eyes full of concern.

"What's wrong?" Ivypool asked.

Making sure nobody else was listening, Dovewing dropped her voice and explained what happened at the ShadowClan border, her head drooping slightly as she repeated her rejection to Tigerheart, renewed grief for their lost love filling her to the brim. Ivypool pressed close to her in comfort.

Suddenly, her senses alert, she heard Tigerheart yet again, shuffling through the undergrowth. But as quickly as she heard him, she tried to choke her powers. If she was going to get over him, she had to stop casting her senses out to him. The more she used her power to see and hear him from a distance, the harder it would be to stay away.

Feeling weary and worn, Dovewing rose up and shook herself, as if that would cast aside the bitter memories. She gave a quick lick of gratitude behind Ivypool's ear and stalked into the warriors den. Perhaps a dream could chase away her heartache. But no sooner had she curled up in her moss nest, a yowl rang out around the hollow.

"Invasion! ShadowClan invasion!"

Dovewing was up in a flash, darting out into the clearing, angry at herself for not sensing it sooner. Most of ThunderClan were out of their dens already, eyes wide in fear. Daisy's fur was fluffed up as she and Ferncloud staring around wildly, standing at the entrance of the nursery. Cloudtail and Brightheart, who had been sharing fresh-kill, had their hackles raised, Cloudtail's lips drawn back in the beginnings of a snarl. Mousefur and Purdy were outside the elders den, acting as if they weren't too old to still land a few good blows to a ShadowClan invader.

A thrill of shock ran down Dovewing's spine as she recognized the muscular dark brown tabby that thrust his way through the thorn barrier.

_Tigerheart!_

"What are you doing here, ShadowClan cat?" Bumblestripe hissed where he and Blossomfall had been sharing tongues only moments before.

"I've come to speak to Firestar." Tigerheart replied calmly, not even flinching at the hostility that crackled through the air. He and Bumblestripe stared each other down before Bumblestripe looked away with a snort.

"Tigerheart?" a surprised and curious mew rang around the stone walls of the hollow, the echoes slightly muffled by the beech tree that fallen into the clearing moons earlier. Dovewing tore her gaze from Tigerheart to the highledge, where Firestar now stood. He bounded down the rockfall and greeted Tigerheart with a nod. "What is it you wish to speak to me about?"

Tigerheart squared his shoulders and drew himself up to his full height, staring evenly into Firestar's eyes.

"I have left ShadowClan. I wish to join ThunderClan as a full warrior."


End file.
